My superfood ‘savoury’ breakfast: nutty Overnight chia & flax pudding

This is one of my go-to breakfasts, packed with all the good stuff. I call it ‘savoury’ as there is no added sugar, only sweetness from fruit and a few raisins, so it shouldn’t cause a spike in blood sugar, which can make you feel hungry after a couple of hours. I’ve packed this breakfast with fibre from all the seeds, nuts, oats, and coconut, which is another reason you should get a slow release of energy through the morning, and your gut microbes will thank you for it too!

The pudding contains lots of plant-based protein, from the chia, flax, and Greek yogurt, which are complete proteins containing all 9 essential amino acids. These aminos are ‘essential’ because our bodies can’t synthesize them; we need to eat them in our diets.

I often add a spoon or two of protein powder as well - whey has a creamy taste, or you can use pea protein as a vegan option. The yoghurt can also be swapped for plant-based to make this a vegan dish too - I like Coconut Collaborative for Coyo.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 3 tbsp chia seeds

• 3 tbsp flax seed

• 3 tbsp oats

• 4 tbsp desiccated coconut

• 4 tbsp sultanas

• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds

• 4 tbsp cashew nuts (broken in half)

• 3 tbsp nut butter (@deliciouslyella has a great almond butter with a touch of ginger and cinnamon- so good!)

• 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt

• 450ml nut milk (or any you prefer) I used @plenishdrinks cashew

Method

• Add all the ingredients except the milk to a large container with a lid.

• Pour a small amount of the milk into the mixture, mashing the nut butter into the other ingredients with a fork, and then add the rest of the milk once it is blended in.

• Put an airtight lid on and place in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours.

• If the consistency is a bit thick, loosen it with a bit of extra milk - adjust to how you like it.

• Serve with any combination of toppings: berries, banana, chopped apple (or any fruit you prefer), any nut butter, Greek yoghurt, cacao nibs, coconut, nuts, seeds.

Tip

• The recipe can be simplified by leaving out one or two ingredients, like the sultanas (I know some don’t
  like them!), one of the seeds, cashews, or coconut - it’s a very flexible recipe!

• Cashews can also be switched for any nut you prefer, same goes for the sultanas if you want to change for a different dried fruit.

Strawberry & blueberry compote

I always have a tub of compote in my fridge as I have it with breakfast almost everyday. It works so well with overnight oats, porridge, granola and yoghurt or pancakes adding flavour and sweetness in a nutritious way - head to the ‘Breakfast’ section for recipes.

My blueberry-hating children will also eat this, so it’s a good way of getting them to eat a wider variety of fruit!

Ingredients

• 400g frozen blueberries & strawberries

• 1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional)

Method

• Warm the fruit in a lidded saucepan and once it has fully defrosted, take the lid off and simmer for 5 minutes.

• Use a potato masher to break up the larger pieces of fruit or blitz with a hand blender if you prefer a smoother texture.

• Stir in the honey or maple if you’re using. This compote is naturally quite sweet so you might like it without.

Energising blueberry smoothie

Sunny days make me want to drink smoothies, so here’s my spring favourite so far. It’ll give you an energy boost any time of the day as it’s packed with protein, iron and Vitamin C!

Ingredients

Serves 1

• 150g frozen blueberries 

• 20g fresh spinach 

• 2 tbsp oats

• 250g nut milk or organic whole

• ½ tbsp white chia seeds

• ½ tbsp maple syrup, agave or honey

Method

Blitz well and drink!

no-bake blueberry cheesecake

I first made a version of these for one of my supper clubs back in the good old days when we’re were allowed to do crazy things like have dinner with friends.

This time I’m hosting an online Cookalong with a group of friends on Friday night so I thought I’d tweak the recipe to make it Zoom-friendly and get a quick practise in.

I streamlined the recipe a bit so it’s easier to make, but still really tasty, plus it can also be adapted to different tastes: you can switch the fruit, use fresh when it’s in season and choose the nuts and biscuits that you prefer for the base.

Cheesecake is one of my favourite ever desserts as I love the combination of crunch, cream and fruit; this is a quick no-bake version that’s ready in minutes, but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen!

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 120g frozen blueberries

• 2 tsp soft brown sugar

• 15g / 1 tbsp almonds or any other nut

• 100g cream cheese, room temp

• 40g/ 2 tbsp crème fraiche, room temp

• 1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted

• 2 Digestive or Hobnob biscuits

Method

• Preheat the oven to 160ºc.

• Add the blueberries and sugar into a medium sized pan and warm gently with the lid on for 5 minutes and then take it off for a further 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

• Put the nuts on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 7 minutes. Leave to cool.

• Whisk the cream cheese and crème fraîche in a small bowl with a fork.

• Add the icing sugar and whip with a fork.

• Put the cooled nuts in a bag or teacloth and gently bash with a rolling pin.

• Then add the biscuits to the bag and repeat.

• Put half the digestive and nut mix into the glass, spoon over half the cream mix, top with blueberry compote and then repeat all 3 layers.

tip

• Feel free to switch the fruit if there’s a berry you prefer, but remember to adjust the amount of sugar depending on sharpness. You need minimal extra sugar for blueberries as they’re naturally quite sweet, but lots more for raspberries or blackberries.

• I suggest using frozen berries to keep the cost down and you can either turn the whole bag into compote or save the rest for smoothies. Compote will keep in the fridge for 3-4 weeks and is great on all kinds of breakfast cereals - porridge, museli, granola. Read my post on compote here.

Mixed berry compote

This is a simple way to make breakfast or desserts more interesting, compote is lovely served with porridge, overnight oats, granola and yoghurt, muesli or with desserts like ice cream, lemon tart or frozen yoghurt. It’s easy to make and you can apply the same technique to any type of frozen fruit, you’ll just need to adjust the sugar depending on the sharpness. Cherries, strawberries and blueberries hardly need any sweetening, but raspberries, blackberries and currants are sharper and need more sugar, which you can add at any point while the fruit is still warm.

I keep a pot in the fridge all the time as I particularly like compote on top of my breakfast. Try making these coconut overnight oats as mixed berries go so well with it (recipe link, plus more below).

Ingredients

Makes approx 300ml

• 450-500g frozen mixed berries

• 70-80g soft brown sugar

Method

• Tip the frozen fruit into a large saucepan with 70g sugar and allow to warm on a medium heat. Once all the fruit has defrosted, simmer for 10 minutes.

• Use a potato masher to break up any whole berries, add a little more sugar if needed and leave to cool.

• Or if you prefer to remove the seeds and make a coulis, pass though a sieve whilst warm, pushing with a silicone spatula.

• It will take quite a bit of effort to get all the pulp separated, but keep going until you only have seeds in the sieve. Or as long as you can be bothered, but you’ll be surprised at how much you can get out even when it looks like mostly seeds!

Tip

• Recipes that work well with compote: granola, overnight oats, pancakes, muesli

• You might want adjust the sweetness to your taste, this recipe is on the tart side, so add another 1-2 tbps if needed.

Blueberry pancakes with maple yoghurt

We’re big pancake fans in our house and these fluffy blueberry fellas have become a new favourite weekend brunch. It’s totally worth the effort of whisking the egg whites as it makes the pancakes really light and they’re a nice change from the classic thin crêpe style (which we usually make).

I’ve used 50:50 plain flour and wholemeal spelt as a/ I just can’t bloody resist a healthy angle and b/ it adds a subtle nutty flavour plus extra protein and fibre. But if you don’t have spelt you could use ordinary wholemeal, or even just plain. I won’t judge you.

Ingredients

Makes 10 x 12cm pancakes

• 300g frozen blueberries

• 6 tbsp plain yoghurt

• 75g wholemeal spelt flour

• 75g plain flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 large free-range egg

• 250ml milk (plant or dairy)

• 150g fresh blueberries

• Maple syrup (or honey), optional

Method

• Preheat the oven to 60ºc if you want to make the pancakes in batches, and then serve them together. Line a tray with greaseproof paper and put each batch on without overlapping as much as possible.

• First, put the frozen blueberries in a pan and heat for 3-4 minutes with the lid on and then another 5 without. They should have softened, so you can mash them with a fork and add a little maple syrup if you want to sweeten them. Set aside in a bowl to cool off.

• Put the flour, baking powder, and milk in a large bowl.

• Separate the egg white into another smaller bowl and add the yolk to the flour mix.

• Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks; when you lift out the whisk, the peak flops to the side.

• Whisk the flour mix until smooth, then fold in the whites with a large metal spoon.

• Heat 1 tsp of light olive oil in a large frying or pancake pan and then add just less than a ladle full of the mix, forming a 10-12cm circle - it doesn’t have to be that precise; I’m just giving you a guide!

• You can add the blueberries to the mix before cooking, or I like to quickly put about 7 or 8 into the pancake when it first goes into the pan, pushing them down firmly so I get inky blue dots after cooking.

• Cook for about 1 minute per side on medium heat. You’ll know when it’s ready to turn when lots of bubbles form on the top surface. I always check the underside to make sure it’s golden brown as well.

• Flip with a large spatula and cook the other side for a minute or two.

• Serve with a blob of compote, yoghurt, fresh blueberries, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

  Tip

• You might have a little compote left over, which is no bad thing as it’s lovely on porridge, muesli or overnight oats.